Tastes great and less filling! I normally am not into the "light" versions of things, whether it's food or software, but I have to confess, I love EchoBoy Jr.! I've always considered EchoBoy (Sr.?) to be the best, most comprehensive delay under my plug-in menu. But sometimes, it's more than I need, and I'd use the stock (and somewhat boring) Pro Tools delay plug-in instead. I can dial up a simple effect in the stock Pro Tools delay quicker than I can with EchoBoy, even though I like the sound of EchoBoy better. Now with EchoBoy Jr., I have the best of both worlds, and I'm stoked! This stripped-down version of EchoBoy still sounds great and has tons of "analog vibe," but it's faster and easier to use because it has fewer options. But it's still got all the bases you'll likely need to cover: Studio Tape, Plex, Space, Cheap Tape, Memory, Ambient, and Transmitter. The Memory setting emulates an analog bucket-brigade delay line. Ambient does long, diffuse, uh, ambient delays with chorusing, and it will get you into that Daniel Lanois zone quite nicely. Transmitter is a resonant CB radio–style delay — for when you need that lo-fi outer-space truckin' vibe. All of the controls are on the main panel, with no hidden or nested menus to access: Mix, Echo Time, Feedback, Low Cut, High Cut, Input, Output, and Saturation. You can change delay time in musical note values (synched to your DAW's tempo), including dotted or triplet values, or in milliseconds. There are three different stereo modes — Normal, Wide, and Ping-Pong — as well as a Glide on/off switch. Factor in a bunch of great presets to get you started, and EchoBoy Jr. is my new go-to delay plug-in for all jobs, simple to complex. It tastes great, and it's less filling for sure!
Effects, Plug-Ins | No. 127
Soothe Plug-In
by Scott Evans
I think I first heard about Soothe from mastering engineer Brad Boatright. "Just try it!" I did, and a day later I bought it. Note: never demo a plug-in you're not ready to buy. Soothe is a "dynamic...